Although Lei Ting had many concerns on his mind—such as the investigation into Little Lina’s incident, which had been handed over to the Collective—priorities had to be set. The "Devourer" was clearly the most urgent matter at hand.
Furthermore, for some unknown reason, Lei Ting could not sense Little Lina’s aura anywhere in the Ethereal Plane he had accessed, including the spatial coordinates corresponding to the area where the incident occurred.
To him, this was practically impossible.
He could even perceive through that space that among the tens of thousands of Supers at the starport at the time, exactly five had established a complete connection with the Ethereal Plane. Yet, he could not find a single trace of a lonely little girl who had been attacked and kidnapped.
This was by no means a situation that allowed for peace of mind.
However, since she truly could not be found there, it was possible that she hadn't actually been transported through the Ethereal Plane. Instead, she might have been taken from the starport via a targeted warp within the physical universe.
And now—
The three of them left their original positions and sped toward the border between the Large Magellanic Cloud and the Milky Way.
Abrizakians carrying Ethereal pollution? That was definitely wrong. Coupled with the Abrizakian he had seen stealing medicine on the first planet of Qinghe 16...
The Abrizak Empire was undoubtedly facing a major crisis; that King’s worries had not been unfounded.
Moreover, the Abrizak King himself was already in a state of self-imposed isolation to prevent himself from harming others after contracting the "Boiling" virus.
One must remember that the "Sublimation" and "Boiling" viruses had long been confirmed to be closely linked to the "Devourer"!
As long as they found the Devourer—the source of all these anomalies—and dealt with it, at least a third of the major problems currently facing the interior of the Milky Way would be resolved.
Was it worth doing?
It wasn't even a question.
Twenty minutes into their flight, a mental shockwave from behind informed them that the "Dragon Slayer" had successfully hunted another prey she deemed worthy. She would likely catch up soon.
In response to that literally soul-shaking power, Lei Ting reflexively expanded his energy field, enveloping both his companions and himself within it.
"Thanks," the "Emperor's Blade" chuckled. "Though it wouldn't actually hurt me, being hit by the shockwave is still quite unpleasant... Speaking of which, Solaris, have you considered the matter I mentioned earlier?"
"..."
Lei Ting had already reactivated the visual blocking function of his visor. He answered calmly, "No."
"Ah... what a pity," the Emperor's Blade sighed. "True, no matter what, I did indeed cause damage to the Human Union... I'll just have to find another way, then."
"So, what was it about?" "Starflow" suddenly asked.
Hearing that long-missed voice, Lei Ting pursed his lips and tucked his hands behind his back, watching the Emperor's Blade explain.
"Just helping me kill someone. It's no big deal for Solaris. Whoever helps me finish this, I'll give them all the good things in my collection."
The Emperor's Blade spoke frankly. "Let me say this upfront: that doesn't include 'Tane.' Tribal assets have nothing to do with personal property."
"In any case, no," Lei Ting said calmly. "I do not kill for wealth or pleasure."
Hearing this, the Emperor's Blade froze for a moment, the smile slowly fading from his face.
For the first time since they met, he gazed at Lei Ting with an expression so serious it bordered on a faint, wistful melancholy.
"...I hope it stays that way," he whispered. "Remember your words today, Solaris."
Before Lei Ting could respond, Starflow suddenly let out a cold snort from the side. "This guy won't change. He is fundamentally harder than the toughest substance you've ever seen."
"I assume that's not just a sentiment you formed after dealing with him under a fake identity, right?" the Emperor's Blade retorted casually.
"Of course not," Lei Ting interrupted, cutting off the faint scent of gunpowder between them. "And I don't consider myself stubborn."
"..."
Starflow seemed stunned by that composed statement. *How had he not noticed before that this young man could be so shameless? Oh, right... when they were alone, the guy usually followed his lead and listened to him when they weren't in bed... then it's fine.*
Soon, the Dragon Slayer caught up with the three, and they began flying at high speed together.
The nature of the Ethereal Plane dictated that the journey would be tedious and dangerous, but one of the standards of the strong was the ability to remain particularly patient.
However, along the way, Lei Ting cautiously bypassed the senses of the Emperor's Blade and the Dragon Slayer to establish a mental link with Starflow.
"Even," he called out the name with extreme caution, letting his voice resonate in the other's mind. "Your condition... can it support you traversing the Ethereal Plane for a long duration?"
Although he was supposed to be "unaware" that the other's life was nearing its end, during their previous mental exchanges, the man's peculiar state of mental strength had ceased to be a secret between them.
Evenheiler couldn't have known Lei Ting would be here before he arrived... so, coming to this wretched place—wouldn't it further increase the pollution he suffered?
"It's fine," Evenheiler replied briefly. "I have no problems."
Such a short, almost dismissive answer made Lei Ting frown.
"Even, this concerns your health," he said solemnly.
"...I know." Evenheiler pursed his lips beneath his mask.
As time passed, he felt his weakness growing day by day.
Whether it was watching himself step toward death a thousand times faster than others during the years when a person should be healthy, or feeling his power decline during the stage when a Super should be deepening their foundation and continuing to temper their growth...
In the ears of this legendary Super warrior, the whispers of the end were becoming clear.
The silence of death is not truly silent; man’s resistance makes it thunderous. Thus, it gradually drowned out the anger of his youth, the cries after his awakening, and the tender whispers from a beautiful soul in the days prior.
Especially now, within the Ethereal Plane, the murmurs from this world left him distracted and restless, yet powerless to stop them.
But for certain reasons, he had to come.
Evenheiler let out a long, silent sigh. He said nothing more, simply continuing to fly forward.
*It’s fine,* he thought. *Nothing in this world lasts forever.*
Beside him, Lei Ting stole one last glance at him. In truth, when he had released his energy earlier, his primary intention had been to protect Evenheiler. Those temporary teammates were just incidental beneficiaries—after all, they didn't need him to worry about their safety.
When the four of them neared the coordinates where Evenheiler had originally found the "Devourer," they encountered a massive ambush of Abominations mixed with Ethereal Demons.
The battle was resolved within an hour, but they saw no sign of the Devourer.
"...It seems it can be moved," Evenheiler's tone was low. "It is alive... I suspect those 'eyes' that store Super powers also possess their own vitality and function."
"Regarding those powers you mentioned," the Emperor's Blade said as he sheathed his greatsword, "where do they come from?"
"Cultivating orphans. Especially war orphans," Lei Ting replied casually. As he spoke, his gaze remained fixed on the few scattered metal cubes orbiting him like a planetary system.
The connection between the Devourer and the orphanages had long been uncovered... Angye had been pursuing that lead.
And he himself had once nearly become one of those "eyes."
Evenheiler wiped his spotless starlight blade, his movements pausing for a moment at Lei Ting's words. But when he spoke again, he showed no sign of abnormality. "To be honest, as far back as the last time I was pursued, I've been suspecting something..."
"Suspecting what?" Lei Ting asked.
"...I can feel it. Abominations and Ethereal Demons are very similar. There are really only two differences between them: one is that Abominations have no Ethereal pollution while Ethereal Demons do, and the other is..."
Evenheiler paused.
"...Their internal and external structures both resemble 'mutated orderly lifeforms.' It's just that the former has a chaotic growth structure, while the latter has all its 'visceral' structures fused into one, except for a few key organs."
The Emperor's Blade wore an indescribable expression. "You've actually looked at them that closely?"
"I've looked closely as well," the Dragon Slayer suddenly added.
Under the gaze of the other three, she looked at a razor-sharp scratch on her arm armor that hadn't quite broken her defense. It seemed to have been there for over ten years—the only flaw on her armor. For some reason, she had never repaired it.
"Back then, since I intended to hunt a Star Beast—and a famous one with a rare number of rebirths at that—I naturally chose to investigate everything about it first. That is the basic integrity of a hunter."
The powerful warrior, whose true face remained hidden, spoke softly.
"It's true that Ethereal Demons and Abominations are very similar. But... when I hunted that monster years ago, I ventured deep into its dragon-like body, which was wreathed in terrifying flames, and I discovered something else..."
She lowered her hand and looked up.
"...The internal flesh and blood structures of tangible Star Beasts also remind me of Abominations," the Dragon Slayer whispered. "They might... actually be the same kind of creature, or at least share some sort of connection. I think that's one of the reasons the former attracts the latter."
"..."
'Star Beasts and Abominations are of the same kind'?
Faced with this explosive revelation, the three fell into silence, though they weren't overly surprised.
After all, frankly speaking, they had all killed all three types of monsters. It was impossible not to notice the similarities; it was just that in the past, no one had the leisure or inclination to ponder the matter.
As they reflected, starlight shimmered in the distance, a celestial river traversing the darkness.
After a long while, Lei Ting suddenly spoke. "...It certainly is patient."
"Yes," the Dragon Slayer sighed. "It certainly is patient..."
As she spoke, she turned to look at the star system shining in the darkness.
"Disguising 'eyes' as stars... what kind of ability is that?"
She inquired curiously of the darkness, letting out a strange chuckle.
"You aren't the first prey of mine that's good at camouflage." She spoke as she casually patted the face of her axe. "I hope you can... hold out a little longer in this hunt!"
